5 Things to Know About Having Your Own Place

This article is brought to you by CORT Furniture Rental. We take the hassle out of furnishing your new place so you can do more important things like read this article. Learn more about why furniture rental is the best way to get a great looking apartment.

Odds are that for most of your life, you’ve been living with someone else or depending on someone for housing — be it living at home with your family or dorming on campus. And while staying on campus away from your parents is a step towards a more independent living situation, it’s not quite the same as having your own place … as in claiming complete responsibility for it, financially and otherwise.

Of course, having your own place comes with both its advantages and disadvantages. While you are free to be on your own and come and go as you please, there are still many instances when you have to be responsible for yourself, your belongings, and your property. Whether you have your own apartment, house, or anything else in between, here are some things to know about owning your place.

pexels.com

1. You’ll feel like you have so much freedom.

With no one to look over your shoulder, criticize you, or nag you to pick up after yourself, you’ll be so free. You can afford to come home and unwind in any way you want to, without worrying about what someone else sharing your space will think. In this aspect, one of the best parts of having your own place is that you can control your own lifestyle.

2. You’re the one paying the bills.

Yet, with great power comes great responsibility. Although you’ll definitely have the freedom to come and go as you please, you still will be responsible for a number of important things, such as paying your bills for water, heating, electricity, etc. These are adulting matters that, unfortunately, come with the territory of owning your own place.

pexels.com

3. Buying furniture will eat up a good portion of your savings if you’re not careful.

You most likely never had to deal with furniture expenses on a large scale before moving to your own place. After all, your parents probably dealt with buying all the furniture in your home; in the dorms, your college provides you with necessities such as the bed, desk, and chairs. However, once you live on your own, you’ll become a lot more aware of every dollar you spend on furniture.

Think about it: unless you live in an apartment where some of your furniture might be provided, you’ll most likely have to scrounge up some of your own money for the basics in different areas of your living space. This could include a bed and desk or table of some sort for your bedroom, a table and some chairs for your kitchen, and perhaps a sofa for your common area or living room if you have one. What’s more, if you enjoy interior decorating, you may even find yourself wanting to splurge a bit on other things like curtains, rugs, a coffee table, and maybe even some nice chairs. While this is all well and good, remember that the costs of all this furniture can certainly add up in the blink of an eye.

If you keep in mind a budget when you’re searching for furniture, you can avoid accidentally spending more than you can afford. To avoid draining your bank account, shop around to scope out some cheap furniture and narrow down your options. You could even get in touch with other college students who are selling used furniture, probably for decently reduced prices, as another way to get more bang for your buck.

pexels.com

4. You’ll have to constantly remind yourself to buy groceries.

When you’re the only one who’s responsible for feeding yourself, it’s hard to always have enough food readily available at your place. Sure, you could stock your kitchen with plenty of ramen and microwavable popcorn, but that food alone can only get you through so many meals.

If you’re making an effort to not rely on the typical college diet, you’ll find that it’s much easier said than done… especially when you have to go out and get your own groceries. Even if you live relatively close to a supermarket, making the trek there and back can sometimes be a drag. What’s more, you have to make sure you buy food that is fresh and won’t expire right away, otherwise, you’ll inadvertently end up wasting a lot of food and money.

What might be helpful is creating a schedule for yourself, where you estimate how often you should be going to the supermarket and preparing food. Further, when it comes to actually making your food, meal prep for the week can be pretty helpful so that you don’t have to spend time every night cooking something new.

If you’re living alone in your new place, you’re bound to get a little creeped out at night just by being alone. To cope with this, you’ll probably end up turning on the TV or radio just to have a little comforting background noise, or you might end up compulsively checking and re-checking all the locks on your doors and windows … just saying.

Despite everything, you’ll still feel a sense of accomplishment. After all, living on your own is hard. But when you’ve been managing for a few weeks (okay, maybe even a few days) already and you haven’t messed up anything major, this living on your own thing might not be so bad after all.

Looking for an easy way to furnish your off-campus apartment? Renting furniture from CORT saves you time and money. See how easy it is to get great looking furniture without breaking the bank.